360 Tropic Degrees is an installation that was especially made for the exhibition ‘BAL!’ At the Soestdijk Palace, DROPSTUFF MEDIA was invited by curator Anne van der Zwaag to design an installation specifically for the old workroom of Prince Bernhard. The room of Prince Bernhard is one of the most imaginative spaces in the palace, even though the room has been empty for more than 10 years. Intriguing, primarily because the prince himself has been a significant historical figure.

The prince’s room was packed with objects, pictures and souvenirs. His collection of little elephant statuettes, known from some photographs and video images, spoke to the imagination because the prince was a fervent hunter in his earlier life. Later in his life he came the president of the World Nature Fund. Each statue stood in a fixed place and was numbered for the cleaner if he had to move something.

A pink elephant with VR glasses

During the BAL exhibition, those who entered Bernhard’s room saw a life-sized fluorescent pink elephant on a pedestal. On his trunk hung a VR set. Visitors got the experience that you can sit on the elephant and put on the glasses.

In the interactive virtual reality application created by Virtual Dutchmen images of the past are shown. The virtual location runs synchronously with the real spot. In this historical location, we can now cast a 360 degree wide look into the Prince’s room when he lived there.

Eclectic dance

The visitor initially sees an almost musical representation of how it ever was. But slowly the elephants move and suddenly there are dancing pink elephants. They take a place in the room again. The fantasy takes over from reality as the many parts of this rarities cabinet jointly perform an eclectic dance. Suddenly you get a trunk and now you as a “visitor” have become an elephant. By moving your head to the left and right you can move a lot like an elephant through the porcelain shop and reconstruct to your hearts delight. Bernhard would go crazy …

360 Tropic Degrees is one of the many interactive installations made by DROPSTUFF MEDIA